Days At Bowser's Castle
by JR150
Summary: What happens at Bowser's Castle while the king is busy plotting another devious plan to take over the Mushroom Kingdom? Every one of his minions and employees does more than what meets the eye while he's away...
1. Prologue

Today was another normal day in World 8. Guarding one of the main towers that Princess peach was normally held in, (or anything that Bowser held captive on a whim for that matter), was a top priority for the soldiers. Especially considering how nice he actually kept it. But today, no one was being held there. Instead, the king was preparing his newest extravagant. Forcing Peach to marry him! (Again).

And because of this, a lot of planners were needed as well as caterers. So, a lot of the defense squad was given time to themselves for the moment. Including Kammy and Kamek. Normally, on days like today, the elderly Magikoopas would start training younger, more vibrant soldiers who wanted to become Magikoopas like them. Not all of them all elderly, contrary to popular belief.

But the pair of Koopa mages were busy yapping orders off to the planners, so their students were also given some time off. And one student in particular was taking advantage of this time, by brushing up on her work. A very young looking Magikoopa donned in an orange robe-a rank given to the apprentices when they earn their broomstick license. (Yes it should be a thing).

"So the Sleep Apnea spell causes the victim to lapse into-d-!" Unfortunately, she was interrupted by a squeaky noise.

 _SKRRRRRRRT_

A noise which she already knew the source of. Bowser's Castle was large. No surprise there. And with that, came ample living quarters for every one of his soldiers.

Sadly, this Magikoopa was stationed in the worst area possible of the left wing: Near Fred's room.

"Dah! Come on, guys...!" The young mage jumped down from her desk and stomped over to her door. Removing her glasses, she looked through to see what was going on. Fred-a Goomba-was having another one of his game sessions in his room. Along with some friends. And this, she wasn't going to stand for.

Especially considering video games weren't exactly on her list of interests.

"I swear if he's playing that darn shooter and yelling at the top of his lungs, I'll extract them and turn them into…" she started going off on a mumbling rant to herself as she crossed the hall. On the way, she passed by someone else. Another soldier. A Paratroopa with a yellow shell and boots, as well as some sunglasses.

"Someone's having a bad time, huh?" The airborne Koopa said as the mage in training stomped by.

"Don't," she said bluntly before marching right up to Fred's door.

Casually so, the Paratroopa started using a nail file to rub his left claw with his right. "If you do things without thinking…"

"-I've heard that one a thousand times. Don't start with me, Nathan."

Not another word came from the Paratroopa, but he still stuck around to watch. Curious as he was. The Magikoopa pounded on the door. "Open up!"

A Goomba with a headset soon opened up the door. A game controller being held by an invisible hand. (Or maybe it's levitation. Who knows.) "Y-!" 

But before he could get a word in, the Magikoopa had him lifted in a psychokinetic grip. "Listen to me you frat boy of a minion! I'm trying to work here, and I would appreciate a bit more quiet, please."

The Goomba simply looked at her for a moment. Then he let out a laugh, before rolling his eyes. "Hey, hey, calm down. I was actually planning to invite you over."

She groaned, giving him a look of pure dismissal. "I'm talking about the squeaky, ear-grating noise!"

"Noise?" Fred asked, "...you do realize my TV's off and I haven't started yet, right?"

And from the sidelines, the Paratroopa known as Nathan started to snicker. "Ooh, that must feel awkward inside, huh, Stacy?"

"..." A pause filled the air. Then she let the Goomba down. "...So if it wasn't you, then who made the noise?"

 _SKRRRRRT_

It happened yet again, causing the three to look around to locate the source. Then they looked up and saw a Swooper.

"Yo, Tex," the Paratroopa called out, "is that you?"

And the Swooper looked down from the high ceiling of the castle hall. "Huh? Oh, sorry, ya'll. I was jus' searchin' for bugs up here with mah call. Am I disturbin' anythin'?"

The Magikoopa exchanged a nervous, but frazzled glance at the Goomba. She felt bad, not to mention awkward as well.

That's when Nathan spoke up once more. "Welp. Guess that's a bit more awkward for ya, huh? Now you gotta cough up an apology~"

She groaned, pausing for a second. But then she gave the smallest, quietest of apologies. "...Yeah, sorry…" And immediately after, she made her way back into her room.

Fred looked up at Nathan with a confused look. "What's _her_ deal?"

And the Paratroopa started filing his other claw. "It must be that time of the month for her."


	2. Tuesday

Tuesday. Taco Tuesday to be precise. A played out theme for sure, but it was always a part of Bowser's Castle's food schedule. Plus, who doesn't love tacos, right? Well, nobody, not even stacy could resist the crunchy goodness of the food roll.

Dinnertime was a variable in the castle. Some preferred to eat alone. Others liked to eat with their colleagues. Stacy on the other hand…

"No. I want to eat by myself."

And the Boo girl groaned, sliding down her headphones from her head. "Stace-please. We _never_ hang out ever since you started doing all these friggin' magic studies."

The Magikoopa in training wasn't deterred. "I'm sorry, but that's final. I have to study a spell for fusion of two objects. How great would it be to have a Fire & Ice Flower! Or even a Piranha POW Block! Or even Mushroom COINS!" It seemed she was over-enthused by this. To the Nth degree.

The magenta-colored Boo would've pinched the bridge of her nose if she had fingers. Or a nose. Or a nose-bridge. So instead, she simply furrowed her brow, clearly displaying her annoyance. "Are you serious?" she asked, "What in the heck kind of practical uses could come from weirdness like that?"

"Betty, Betty, Betty," she said her friend's name in a 'tsk' manner. Shaking her head while doing so, "To create an omelette, you have to break a few eggs."

And the Boo, once again, was unimpressed. "I'm not eating whatever _you_ cook…"

"Shh. You know what I mean, girl. Come on, we'll hang out tomorrow, I promise," Stacy said in a 'sincere' way.

"...Fine." The Boo reluctantly agreed, and the door was promptly closed in her face before she could get a word in. Only afterwards did she speak. _"Jeez did someone steal her favorite paper stash again. That chick is looking like she wants to date her books."_

So Betty-the Boo-moved on. Sadly, she was left to eat lunch alone. Again. Her supposed best friend was routinely skipping out on her. But Betty did not complain. After all, it was only the 12th time it had happened this week. She was more than used to it.

On her way to the Lunch Hall, she passed by a Koopa that was ranked higher than her. Larry Koopa to be precise. "Sir~"

The blue-shelled Koopaling was looking outside of a window, before her voice snapped him out of whatever it was. "Huh? Oh, at ease? What's up?"

"Do you know what's going on with Stacy?" she inquired, "I'm worried sick about her. She hasn't even bothered to join me to scare people."

Larry shrugged. "Hey, I dunno. You'd have better luck asking Kammy. She is her teacher after all. There's supposed to be some sorta…" he started waving his index claw in the air in a circle, "psycho-brain thing that connects students and teachers."

Betty sighed mentally. The last thing she wanted was to have to deal with another one of Kammy's thousand lectures on how to float properly when walking through the door. Keep your tail straight this, always stay puffy that. "Eugh...not again."

"Hey, she's a sweet old lady," Larry chided her, "besides, you're older than her techincally since you're d-"

"Don't."

"-sorry."

"Hmph." Betty scowled, before rolling her eyes. "Please, old women like to act all sweet and nice toward little fools like you." She floated over to him, giving him a teasing wink, "You're all just so ripe for picking~"

Larry pushed her out of his face. "...Ew. Uh, you do realize King-Dad would have her out on her butt if she was manipulating me, right?"

The Boo shrugged. "Whatever. I need to figure out what Stacy's deal is."

And Larry turned around, resuming his time alone. "Yeah, you do that…"

Betty shot a flirty glance at the Koopaling before making her way into the lunch hall. She was too hungry to try and rationalize a big problem like that at the current moment. Plus, the tacos were being stolen quick from the buffet table.

After grabbing a hearty plate of tacos, the Boo plopped down at a table, next to someone reading a newspaper.

"God, I'm starving," the Boo said before absorbing a few at once.

The newspaper lowered. Nathan, the yellow Paratroopa was sitting beside her. With his claw, he lowered his shades to where only a bit of his eyes were visible, giving the Boo an inquisitive look. "Is that what she calls it?" he said to himself.

The Boo nearly shrieked at the sound of a voice and when she located the winged Koopa, her face scrunched up into a frown.

"Really? Is that-are you just staring at me?"

With his shades still lowered, the Paratroopa flicked a page of the newspaper. "No. You're transparent. I'm looking at the wall."

"Grrr…" she ground her fangs into her bottom lip. It didn't hurt, because she was already-ya know. "Whatever. Just don't bother me."

"Stress-eating again?" Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Who denied your friend request this time?"

"No you idiot!" She hissed and floated right into his face. "Stacy's on another magic kick!"

The Paratroopa blinked once. Twice. Then he put up the newspaper again. "And? Let her be for once. She's probably busy."

"Busy?!" Betty growled. "For her best friend? Who she continues to break promises to?!"

And the newspaper came down. Nathan actually had a mildly concerned expression on his face. "Now that actually is a legitimate reason to feel upset."

"Ugh!" She floated back over to her plate.

Then he closed the paper up. "In all fairness, she did seem a bit awkward when she snapped at Frederick for no reason."

And the Boo repeated his words in a mocking tone. "'Uh biiiit awkweeeerd.' Of course she is, ya fool. Something's going on with her-something strange." Then she faced the yellow Paratroopa, looking dead into his soul. "And you're _going_ to help me figure out what."

"...I see." And he yawned, looking more bored than before. "And what's in it for me?"

"Oh?" The Boo floated over to him, making flirtatious eyes. "I can think of a few things…~"


	3. Testing Day

Testing day. The day that Stacy had been looking forward to all this time. Hoping to not only impress Kammy with her magical skill, but herself as well. Trying tirelessly to improve upon her craft, day in and day out without rest. Only time could tell if she would actually manage to get her spell right.

"Ok...gotta make sure I focus…" the Magikoopa trainee muttered to herself as she walked to her classroom in the East Wing of the castle. But before she got there, she was stopped by a certain Boo.

"Ay!" Betty screeched, causing Stacy to yelp in return, nearly losing her balance and dropping her books.

"...What the-?! Betty!" Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "What the heck are you doing? Wait-you know what-no. I don't wanna know. I don't have time for this, and I'd like to get to class on time, thank you."

The Boo paused. But she was persistent. Continuing to float after her friend. "Stace, come on. I just wanna talk-"

"Well, I don't. Simple as that." She replied bluntly, before making her way towards the door. "I'd appreciate you respecting my wishes to be left alone."

"..." Betty just looked on, wondering what she did to set her friend off. It had to be something else, otherwise she'd be perfectly fine.

Meanwhile, as she made her way to the door, Nathan was hovering in the air next to the door. Rather than talking to her, he observed the Magikoopa, trying to understand what was wrong. He sighed. Clammed up as usual she was, nearly impossible to figure out what her deal was. "Hm…"

Without a word, she went through the doors. Betty floated her way up to Nathan and asked, "Did she say anything?"

The Paratroopa shrugged. "No, sadly. Then again, I wasn't really in the mood to talk to her. You might think just pressuring is a good way, but situations like these take…." he grit his teeth, "...effort to try and pin down. Effort which I don't have."

Dejected, the Boo slapped her face with her stubby hand. "You...why can you never be bothered to do something?"

"Eh….let's just let it play out for now. Otherwise, I don't see the point of being here."

She narrowed her eyes. "Do you care about anything at all?"

And he shrugged. "Two things."

* * *

Inside the classroom, other species of World 8 were seated around at the tables. Buzzy Beetles, Spinies, Lakitus, Dry Bones. People who wanted to learn magic from one of the best mages in Bowser's kingdom.

Stacy took her seat next to a Wiggler, groaning and speaking aloud to herself. "God. Why do people feel like they can just bother you all the time and not take a hint. It's like they want to make you angry on purpose."

The Wiggler sitting next to her looked over, exchanging a glance for a moment. "Well, what if you channel your anger and use it to empower yourself?" It made a devious grin, "It'd be just like something out of a comic book. Fueled by rage and hate!"

"..." That actually managed to get Stacy to grin, but not by much. "...Oh, Sam. You and your strange ways…" she rolled her eyes. "I'm talking about people-my friends specifically who're just continuing to bother me when I say I need time to myself to focus. They like to think it's a joke or something to play around with, when it's very serious…"

The Wiggler tilted its head. "...Yeah, um. You ever think they're just worried. And _probably_ getting mad that you aren't acknowledging it? Just a thought."

"Sam, look. If someone told me to leave them alone, I'd do it. No questions asked. Does that or does that not make sense."

The Wiggler conceded. "Well...I mean, in _some_ cases. But I guess most times I'd leave them alone. They'd get angry if I pestered them all day and-ohhh…"

Stacy huffed. "Now do you get it?"

Sam shrugged. "...I think?"

"QUIET!" Kammy's loud, scraggly voice shook the entire room. Instantly, everyone went silent as a stream. "Now...who would like to present themselves first for their assessment?"

Almost immediately, Stacy's robed claw was raised high.

And Kammy noticed, picking her first. "Stacy. Get up here, then."

Without hesitation, she did. Making her way to the front of the room, she was no stranger to making a presentation. "Alright. Now, for the last few days I've been working on ways we could potentially maximize our item output. If we magically fused two items together…" From a block on the desk, she grabbed a Mushroom. And from the other she grabbed a Coin…

After turning them both invisible, Betty had snuck into the classroom with Nathan on her backside.

 _"Fatty."_ Betty mentally snarled at the Koopa on her back.

 _"Weak."_ He casually replied back.

 _"...I forgot I had the possession link turned on."_

They watched. No one in the room was the wiser. With both items on the table, the orange-robed Magikoopa raised her scepter. "Itemicus-joinicus!" And from the wand, a blast of magic enveloped both items. The Mushroom and Coin floated into the air, connecting with each other….

A white flash shocked the room. When it died down, a Coin with a Mushroom texture and pattern was floating above them. "Ba-bam~!"

The entire class was amazed. And so was Kammy. She even gave a slow clap. "Well now...isn't that nice my dear. Pray tell-what is the purpose of this?"

"Easy," Stacy smirked, "It's the combined value of a Mushroom and a Coin in one. Therefore, if we mass produced these, we could easily afford anything~"

Kammy rubbed her chin, hiding how much she didn't really see much potential in such an item. It'd be embarrassing to tell her that in front of her peers. "I see….why don't you try on something more...viscous?"

"Oh?" Stacy raised an eyebrow, seeing it as a challenge from her teacher. _'Finally! A chance to prove myself!'_ "Alright. Let's see…"

From another block, she found a Piranha Plant sleeping in a pot of soil. "Ok…" Then she looked up and hit another block, grabbing an Ice Flower. "Alright, this'll be good…~"

 _"...I don't like this."_ Nathan mentally relayed to Betty, who reciprocated these feelings.

 _"That poor baby!"_ Betty's teeth were chattering. She was actually afraid for the plant.

 _"Heh. Didn't take you for a sensitive type."_

 _SMACK_

 _"Well excuse me…"_

Using the same spell again, she gripped both the Piranha Plant and Ice Flower with levitation. Slowly bringing them towards each other…

The class looked on in a mix of horror and excitement. Kammy of all people didn't expect this, but it may end up being useful…

Once again, a white flash enveloped the room upon completion of the spell. But the result wasn't simply a Piranha Plant that could breathe ice balls. No...instead it came out to be an abomination of a Piranha Plant with an elongated neck, leaves that turned into legs, and a head that was surrounded by giant ice crystals.

"...Wh-what…" Stacy stared at her newfound creation…

"..." And after a moment, the class started to clap. It actually seemed as if it was a formidable combination. Kammy herself even looked impressed.

"Oh dear…" her glasses came off her face, revealing the shocked look in her eyes. "It's….interesting…"

Unfortunately, something that no one took into account, was the fact that the plant creature had been asleep the entire time. And now, it was starting to wake up...stirring, growling. It made a few of the other students nervous as it finally came to.

It let out a roar. A loud, ear grating roar that blew cold air around the entire classroom. Ice balls flung this way and that. Causing panic to erupt within the classroom. The students started to yell and scream, running to the doors for safety. But they were frozen in their tracks before they could get to the doors. "Help!"

Kammy immediately went for her own scepter, but before she could move it, her hand was frozen to it, and the table it was sitting on. "Drat! Stacy stop this thing right now!"

"Ah! Uhhh…!" The trainee realized her mistake this time. She had used up too much mana from the first fusion to properly execute the second one. "Oh no..!" Now the giant piranha plant was crawling all over the classroom. Freezing everything it touched, trying to make the room its new home. Then it spotted the students it had frozen in place, drooling at the mouth…

"GET US OUTTA HERE, STACY!" Her classmates yelled at the top of their lungs.

"Um, uh...h-hold on-I'm…" Her entire world was crashing down. Realizing she had made Kammy upset, and that this was done to her classmates. All by her own hand. She simply had no clue what to do, and was scrambling for an answer.

That's when both Nathan and Betty made themselves known. Turning visible.

"Hey, kid, chill out," Nathan said casually. Causing Betty to groan.

"Ugh...anyway, we got your back. Find a spell to undo it or something." Betty shot her a wink, "we'll take care of this big guy, won't we, Nathan~?"

The Paratroopa leaned out of the way of an ice ball. "I _wanted_ to do literally nothing today, but eh…"

"Good! Because you have no choice!" The Boo grabbed him and ran towards the mutated Ice Piranha Plant. "We got him, Stace!"

That gave her a small amount of comfort. But not much. She still had to feverishly look through the book to try and find some sort of solution. All while her friends started to try and fight the monster she created...


	4. Fallout

Heavy grunting and struggles of effort came from both the Paratroopa and Boo as they did what they could to push the mutated plant creature. Betty was creating aether waves from her body that formed into projectiles of darkness, and Nathan was flinging his razor-tipped feathers at the creature.

"This thing is tough," the Paratroopa groaned. Clutching three feathers in his claw's grip, he narrowly avoided an ice ball flung at him by the abomination.

Betty scoffed. The Boo turning herself transparent when the ice breath came too close. "Quit your whining. It's not like it'll kill you or anything."

"Easy for you to say," Nathan grumbled while flying upwards towards the ceiling, and flinging the feathers down at the plant, damaging it a little, "you can pass through everything."

"-Done! Stand back!" Stacy suddenly cried out. At last, she had found what she needed to reverse the effects of what she created. Instantly, her friends moved out of the way to hide behind some desks. And from there, the Magikoopa stepped forward.

"Returnicus-normalo!" With her wand, she zapped the creature, quickly separating the Ice Flower and Piranha Plant from each other. They were both back to normal. However, the class was not. Students frozen solid, desks overturned, the room itself a frozen wasteland. And Kammy still had her claw stuck to her scepter-which was frozen to the table.

"..." Stacy shivered, trying to give a meek apology. "I-I...I can fix this…"

"GET OUT!" Kammy snapped. "NOW!"

As if on cue, Stacy turned a shade of gray. Her world crumbling before her. But she didn't dare disobey her superior. Quietly turning to exit the room.

"..." Nathan and Betty exchanged silent glances as their friend left.

* * *

Later, they were at Stacy's door. Betty opting to knock on the door first. "...Stace…"

"Go away!" The Magikoopa trainee cried, "I'm done. Not gonna try that ever again!"

Nathan leaned against the wall before shrugging. "Maybe we should leave her to sort this on her own."

"..." For the longest moment, Betty just stared at the Paratroopa. "You just love being of no use at all, don't you?"

Nathan pushed down his shades. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing you've said this entire time has been remotely positive!" Betty grew slightly bigger as she yelled at him, "Can't you see Stacy's in a state of emotional distress?"

And despite her yelling, he gave a calm reply. "I think she's mature enough to sort this out on her own."

The Boo nearly hissed at his words. "OH! Wait a minute! Now you're calling _Stacy_ immature just 'cuz she needs help?! Like you're any better you dunce!"

"I've been called worse by better people…" Nathan was growing increasingly irritated. But he didn't explicitly show it in the same vein that Betty did. As a result, he came off as passive-aggressive. "So don't talk down to me like you know me."

"Uch! _Know_ you?! That's something I wish I never done!" Baring her fangs, she was floating directly in front of him, "You think you're _soooo_ cool with your shades and apathetic self! News flash: The girls _laugh_ at you and talk about you behind your back in the showers!"

That's when Nathan pulled his shades off completely. "I don't need these. I just want as little to do with anyone else as possible. I do my job, get paid, eat, and that's all. No more, no less. I'm a soldier."

Betty snapped, "You're _worthless_!"

"..." A long pause filled the air between them. Before long, Nathan decided to simply turn and leave. Not saying a word to anyone he passed. Choosing to end the debate right then and there.

Betty froze, realizing that her whole body had turned a shade of red with rage. Stacy's crying turned into sobs of defeat. The entire argument was right outside her door and they failed to realize it. But this time, instead of trying to reconcile with Stacy, Betty simply floated away; out of the Castle and towards a Ghost House nearby.

She sighed. This wasn't the first time that she and Nathan had gotten into heat with each other. Nor did it seem like it was going to be the last. But what she found most frustrating was the simplest of things. "Why won't he just listen to me…"

After floating down near the Ghost House-outside to be exact-Betty rest herself next to a river. Taking a moment to breathe, and think about what had happened.

But before she could rest for long, a Scuttlebug hanging from its web attached to a tree branch slid down to her. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

"Hm?" She gave a lazy look in his direction, "Yeah, sure…"

The Scuttlebug made its way down, sitting next to her. "Hey, hey, hey. Talk to me, Betty."

The Boo looked over once more. Then she realized who she was speaking with. "Oh, Jake! I didn't realize it was you…"

He started fiddling with his web, making some into a ball. "It's fine. I'm practicing how to be sneaky. Now tell me what's going on, eh?"

Betty sighed. "Well…"


	5. Listening

The next day, things weren't going so well. Stacy was still cooped up in her room after the downpour of embarrassment. As well as the fact that Nathan still had no sort of idea on how to approach her. Betty was still nowhere to be found after she left the day before.

But instead of worrying, the Paratroopa occupied himself. By doing his job. The only thing he seemed to actually care about these days. In Bowser's Castle, everyone had to play a certain role to keep everything going. It's how the Kingdom was able to sustain itself like any other. Nathan for example, was a weapon's manager. Bullet Bills, Bob-Ombs-anything that could be used to defend the castle went under his jurisdiction.

Down in the weapon cellar, the Paratroopa quietly took notes. Bill Blasters lined in rows on either side of him. Inspecting them to make sure they were still in working condition. And they were. As always. The job left him bored out of his mind on occasion, which is why he often read magazines to pass the time.

"Hm…" he casually looked over a Home Section in the magazine he was reading, leaning against the wall. Then, he raised an eyebrow at a noise he heard outside. "Hm?"

It was an ongoing conversation being held between two other minions at the top of the stairs.

"-so I heard Betty got into a fight with Nate-got any idea what might've happened?" A Fly Guy asked.

Then a Blooper responded, "No idea. You'd figure they'd up and destroy each other or something by now."

"Eugh...I don't think that's a good idea. Considering Betty is the top scare in the Ghost House nearby."

"RIght, right...no one messes with that house as long as she's there. Not even the other Boos that work with her." The Fly Guy floated on down the hall, passing by the door to the weapons cellar. "I seriously wonder how they're even friends."

"Pff. Friends? More like masochists if that's what friends are like. I can't even imagine what Stacy must deal with on a daily basis," the Blooper shook its head while following its friend, "those two idiots always causing emotional ruin for her…"

And they left, taking the conversation with them. Nathan grit his teeth. But he had to concede. Stacy was just losing her mind all because of himself and Betty's actions. At the very least, he wanted to see her happy.

" _Oh boy, can't wait till this spreads around the castle…"_

* * *

Meanwhile, Betty had floated back into the castle. Towards the girl's showers for-what else-a shower. Even though she was a ghost, and therefore technically not alive, one would assume she wouldn't need it. However…

She let out a sigh after setting her black bow on the counter. After turning on one of the showerheads, the warm water ran along her. _"...Ah, now this feels good…"_ And she floated there for a moment, before hearing someone else enter.

A pair to be exact. A mint green Bob-Omb, and a pink Cheep Cheep.

"Did you hear about the news?" The talking explosive asked.

This immediately caught Betty's attention. Now it was time for one of her favorite hobbies: Eavesdropping.

The Cheep Cheep replied. "No, what?"

"There's an abandoned underground mine shaft near Peach's place that's chock full of diamonds, blue coins, and gold flowers. But the mine itself is prone to quakes and rockslides. No one ever goes down there."

" _Hmmmm…~"_ Betty peeked out of the shower stall, watching the two converse.

"Man, if I had that kinda money, I'd easily be able to afford a gold lake to swim in!" The Cheep Cheep exclaimed.

"Pfff," the Bob-Omb rolled its eyes, "But the mine is waaaaay too cold for me. My fuse wouldn't even light down there and you'd need a ton of _kaboom_ to get out if you got stuck. Know what I mean?"

Betty's tail quivered. She smirked to herself as she started to think of something. _"Something explosive….to blow right up in their face….~"_

The two girls continued to talk about the mine, and the dangers of going there. Occasionally making jokes about how they'd dare each other to do it. But both denied.

After they left, Betty remained, starting to hatch an idea. _"I know what'll get his blood racing…call me out like that will you, Nathaniel…?~"_

Revenge was in order.


	6. A Mission

"-Send someone down there immediately! I wanna claim that land before anyone else gets to it!" The Koopa King Bowser boomed down at his advisor. Not Kamek or Kammy, but rather his financial advisor-a Lakitu with a pink shell and a gray, angry cloud that shot out lightning. Having overheard the conversation about this mine shaft underground that carried a ton of valuables, he was more than curious.

The Lakitu saluted her king with a wide grin. "Heck yeah, sir! Ain't nobody gonna take that!" From her cloud, she dug around and grabbed up a clipboard. "Who should we send to scout the place out? Our Bullet Bill Troops?"

"Nah. Too obvious…" Bowser folded his arms, and closed his eyes to think.

"Oh! How about something a bit more sneaky~!"

The Koopa King's eyes shot open. At that moment, he had an idea. "I know the perfect candidates…"

* * *

"Well, that's done…" Nathan yawned and stretched his wings. He was finished with his work for the day, and was ready for a well-deserved break. "Time to hit up the lunch room."

Coincidentally, Betty had finished in the showers, exiting with a cozy robe wrapped around her body. "Ahh...nothing like a cold shower and the sweet smell of gossip…~"

They both made their way to the lunch hall, not realizing what they were both headed towards. Eventually, they both reached the door, and exchanged one good look with each other before…

"Yo!" The Lakitu Advisor jumped off her cloud and landed in between them. "Guess what, boys! You've been chosen!" And she handed them both a bulleted list containing instructions:

 _Find the valuable mine shaft_

 _Claim it_

 _Destroy whatever gets in your way_

Both Nathan and Betty read the letters over before realizing they had gotten the same one. And almost on a dime, Betty scoffed.

"You want _me_ to work with _this_?" She made an overly-dramatic expression of pure disgust, "June-you _cannot_ be serious!"

The Paratroopa simply pulled down his shades slightly to make his eyes visible. Not saying a word. All he did was pocket the note, and head towards the castle doors. "Let's get this over with."

The Lakitu-named June-simply snickered. "Well, well, well, mah girl-looks like you ain't got no choice. Oh, and the King said if you fail don't come back, kay~!"

The Boo grumbled. "I can't even begin…"

"Oh no, you pretty much have to begin or else you won't move the plot forward." June said obnoxiously on purpose.

Betty gave her a death glare. "Don't."

"Ok, I won't!" The Lakitu responded with a devious grin.

"Ugh…" Betty sighed, and began to float after her, 'friend,' "I swear, sometimes…"

Once they had both gone, Stacy looked out from behind a Bowser statue. "...Are they gone?"

The Lakitu looked over and nodded, waving her over. "Yeah, yeah, bud. They ain't gonna give you problems-for now at least."

The Magikoopa sighed with relief. "...Good. And for the record, I still like them, despite their bone-headed antics sometimes."

"Nah, I think you want Barry-now _he's_ a real bonehead if you catch my drift."

Not understanding the joke, Stacy blinked. "Yes...he's a Dry Bones."

Even though it missed by miles, June continued to snicker. "Oh you'll get it someday. Anyway, I need to go make sure the budget for this year's Firefest is still intact. If not, we're gonna need to start going back to stealing."

Stacy snorted. "As soon as I can refine my magic, I'll develop instant teleportation. Then we can just transport whatever we find back to the castle."

"Heeyyyy, sounds like a plan." She gave her a pat on the back, "Don't overwork yourself, alright? King B wants us to work smarter, not harder."

And Stacy smiled, feeling a bit more confident than before. "Smarter…"

* * *

"Alright, let's hurry this up." Betty, after tossing off the robe near the door, followed Nathan closely. Patience was something she didn't have today. "I wanna get back before lunch ends."

"Yeah, sure…" the Paratroopa flew over to a pipe. "Since it's underground, it might be somewhere near the Rocky World."

She raised an eyebrow. "That's...actually kinda close to the Mushroom Kingdom. Pff, no wonder this is so important. We _better_ get a cut from this…."

"Don't hold your breath," Nathan said before dropping down into the pipe. "Come on!"

"Ugh! Don't rush me!" Betty scowled before floating down after him-the pipe making its usual sound effect as they went.


	7. Digging

They had made it underground. Finally, now they were getting somewhere. And Betty, ever the non-negotiable one, had something to say about the drab conditions of the underground.

"Ugh, it's so….dank down here. Why do we even need this? Don't we already _have_ a ridiculously huge budget from the money we take?"

And the Paratroopa who was flying on ahead of her gave a delayed response. "Because-we're trying to monopolize the production of these mine's resources. If we do that, then no one could potentially combat us with how much money we put into and get out of it." He looked around. There was nothing but darkness ahead of them with large chasms every so often.

"Hm…." The Boo floated along, starting to get more used to the lifeless atmosphere as they went. "Meh...could use some haunting here and there."

The deeper they traveled, the more empty it felt. As if the walls were closing in on them. Inch by inch, step by step-or float in their case. Regardless, they pressed onwards, until they reached a giant dead end in the form of a wall. With no other route.

Nathan flew up to the stone, and gave it a knock. "...It's thick as heck. We need to find another way."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Does that little brain of yours not work today?" She floated forward, grabbing him by his wing, turning them both transparent, and floating through the wall. "See? Nothing _I_ can't handle~"

"...Why do I feel unsure about this?"

"Eh?"

Nathan paused for a moment before continuing. "Something about this feels so strange. Like we're headed right for a trap or something."

"Pff, you worry too much you know that?" Betty giggled in a taunting manner as they kept going. Eventually, they passed through the other end of the wall, and the Boo allowed themselves to become transparent. "Now wasn't that easy? Go on, say it~"

"..." The Paratroopa's attention was stolen. Something just ahead of them had sent chills up his spine. "...Look."

"Ugh-what n-?" Betty turned around-her jaw dropped upon looking in the same direction.

This section of the underground was different than the one before it. Instead of it being cold, quiet darkness, it was filled with nothing but pouring waves of sand and other rock. They were in the Underground portion of the Rock World that Nathan had described earlier. But what was more concerning was the sheer amount of sand being tossed around. There was a mine cart track in front of them-indicating they were in the correct place-a mine shaft-unfortunately, there was so much sand that locating the riches they were after.

"...Oh dear," she said.

Nathan removed his shades. "Oh dear is right. We're gonna be stuck down here for a while until we find the part of the mine we need, and rightfully claim it. You know how the King can get if his troops fail and all."

Betty's normal first reaction would be to hightail it out. But there was no way out. She had to complete her job and hopefully get some of the money. Though, it wasn't mainly about the money to her, it was more for the attention in sheer praise she would receive as a result. "Hm...well, don't just stand there, get searching," she said while floating up to the underground dunes.

This actually made Nathan turn his head. Betty actually wanting to do a job? This was both a relief and a terror. _"Who knows what that little ghost ball could be planning."_ And he flew forward, beginning his search also.

* * *

After a long period of time, both Paratroopa and Boo were tired, looking for some sort of resting spot away from the sand.

"Hm…" Betty lied down on a rock, "how long have we been at this?"

Nathan scratched his head. "If I had to guess….at least two or three hours."

"Ugh!"

"I know...menial work is beyond sickening for me."

"Right? Gimme some kids to scare any day of the week. Please."

Then a pause filled the air. Before long, they realized that they were actually in agreement on something for the first time for as long as they could remember. Both thinking on it to themselves quietly, as to not expose their thoughts to each other.

Said thoughts were interrupted, however, when they heard a small _squeak!_

"Huh?" They both looked up in order to locate the source of the noise.

The squeaking started off slow and individual. Then it became more and more rapid...as if something was close!

"What's that noise?" Nathan asked.

Betty replied, "No clue, but I'm not gonna let myself be seen for what it is-"

Loud rumbling started to accompany the squeaking noises, faster, louder, heavier...Then it was a revealed.

At the other end of the shaft, a swarm of Scardey Rats were running together. As if they were running from-or towards-something of importance.

Nathan blinked. "Oh dang…"

"Get over here and hide, quick!"

Without hesitation, he flew over, grabbing onto Betty's arm, and becoming invisible like before. However, the Rats started to come towards them. Hundreds, maybe thousands of squeaking rodents sniffing, staring….

They stopped just a few feet away from the two-a few made their way over, starting to sniff for what they could have sworn smelled like a beautiful ghost…

" _...Don't….make….a sound…."_ Betty telepathically said to Nathan.

" _...I'm...allergic...to rats…."_

" _..."_


	8. Challengers

They had to remain quiet. Any sort of movements could cause the rats to swarm. And then their chances of finding the mine treasures would be reduced to slim.

" _Look. I'm going to move us through them. Just try not to sneeze."_

Nathan complied. Keeping his claw over his nose. Betty started to float with him through the rats, leaving them confused.

The more they moved, tears started to well up in the Paratroopa's eyes. Slowly losing his composure over time.

" _Let's try the left side…"_ Betty suggested, and started turning around a corner, leading to a wide open cave inside the mine. Once they were sure they had left the rats behind, they reverted to a tangible state. Betty exhaled. Her mana pool depleted from staying invisible for so long.

"…Huff. Are you alright or whatever?"

Nathan had a small rash on his neck, but refused to scratch out of sheer will. "…Yeah, thanks. Right now we should focus or our butts'll be fried for failing."

The Boo looked forward, realizing they had entered into a wide cave system. "Where exactly are we?"

"No idea," he replied, "but it looks like we're in some sort of cavern. So I think we should be careful."

"Why?"

"Because if we aren't the rats could end up following us in here and finding out where we are? Or maybe the rocks could come crashing down on us?"

Betty scoffed. Not worried in the slightest. "Ha! If that happens, we can just phase through it like it's nothing. You worry too much, you know that?"

However, Nathan was focusing on something else. Something just ahead that looked...reflective. "Over there. I think I see something."

Betty looked over and saw a lavender crystal of some sort. Protruding from the ground, but it was jagged and clearly broken off. "Uh...ok, so what?"

"Can't you tell from the way it's shaped that it's broken in such a way that someone had to have messed with it?" Nathan flew over, inspecting it with his claw. "That means someone's been here, and they're after what we're after."

"..." Betty narrowed her eyes. Failing to understand just what exact relevance this crystal had to their job. "Hm...if I were a thief, I wouldn't leave such gaudy pieces of tracking information lying around. So unprofessional…"

Nathan pressed forward. "Whatever the case, we have to hurry. I don't think we have much time before we run into whoever else is here with us."

"Right...sure…" Betty groaned, slowly following.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mine…

"I knew we should have gone a different direction…"

"No way! I know for a fact that this is the right way, after all, the purple crystal glows brighter the closer we get!"

A pair of explorers had been making their way through a different part of the mine shaft. A pair of Toads to be exact, geared up with headlamps, backpacks, and everything they needed down in the underground.

Captain Toad and Toadette.

The latter had followed her gut on the way here. Knowing that deep down, she had a ways about knowing what exactly she could find. They were after the hidden treasures as well.

"If these are real, then we'll be known as local heroes!" The pink Toad squealed, "And we'll have the adoration of even Princess Peach!"

Captain on the other hand, was less than enthused. In fact, he was tired. More tired than he had been during even his own days of adventuring. To him, Toadette was out of her mind. "I'm not sure...after all, besides that crystal, we haven't found any signs of that unclaimed loot."

She put her hands on her hips. "You're not giving up on me, are you?"

"I mean, can we at least rest for a bit?" But before the Captain could fully find a place to rest himself down, Toadette grabbed him by the arm, "Wh-!"

And she stomped off towards a deeper cavern. "I'm not giving up on this-you know as well as I do that this land could be perfect for the new stuff Peach wants to build. She has to expand, man!"

"Ugh…" the Captain groaned, "What's the big deal about some underground garden?"

"It's for emergencies! In case food runs out above ground, we can afford some reserve space down here with alternative growing methods," she smirked and waved her fingers around all mystically, "via magic~!"

The Captain sighed as he scratched the back of his mushroom cap. "I _do_ like magic…"

"Then quit the whining and let's get moving!" Toadette chirped before pressing forward. Unbeknownst to the fact that another pair was also looking for the exact same treasure that they were.

Captain Toad did feel a stark presence of danger ahead. Or maybe it just could be his cold sweat from having dug so far down and walking ever since. Regardless, he knew arguing with Toadette was like trying to outpace her in the spunk department: It just couldn't be done.

And so they kept moving, all making their way deeper into the cave...


	9. Confrontation

"I think we're close."

Betty stopped, folding her stubby arms. "What makes you say that?"

Nathan pointed forward. An actual mine cart on a track was just ahead of them. "If we can follow these tracks, it'll lead us right to the mine where the money is!"

"Ugh, finally!" The Boo floated forward, "Let's hurry this up so I can get my routine massages."

Nathan flew up and looked the cart over. "And if we can find a way to get it moving, it can save us a lot of walking time."

Betty on the other hand, simply floated down into it. "Can you actually be useful then?"

His eyes narrowed. "Don't test me, woman." Then he looked up. Noticing a stalactite hanging from above. An idea came to him. He plucked a few feathers from his wing, and flung them up at the rock, slicing right through it. Part of the rock fell to the ground, causing a shockwave that shook the ground and knocked the cart forward. "There, now it's loose."

Then he moved forward to give it a push, sending it down the track before hopping into it. "Now we're moving."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Finally, you actually do something useful."

* * *

Concurrently, both Captain Toad and Toadette were getting closer as well. They had found their own set of minecart tracks to follow, and were making their way at a rapid pace.

Well mostly.

"Pass me the rations," Toadette said, holding out her hand.

The Captain reached into his backpack, "Ehh...tuna? Are you serious?"

"If it keeps your greedy little mits off it." She snarked, snatching the sandwich slice from him, "The last time we went out, you ate my PB&J!"

"It was an honest mistake!"

And Toadette bit into her sandwich before shrugging. "Eh, doesn't matter. I think we're close now."

"Oh final-"

"Shhh!" Toadette shoved her finger in his face, "Don't shout like that. You could wake up some Swoopers or something."

The Captain pushed her hand away, and walked ahead of her. "Please. Those bloodsuckers can't stand the purity of my bravery!"

Her eyes narrowed while nonchalantly biting her sandwich. "Uh-huh."

"There!" The Captain pointed to a door that was sealed off with wooden planks and barbed wire. It also marked the end of the end of the mine cart tracks. "The treasure has to be behind there! I'll be taking my award now~"

By now, Toadette had finished her sandwich, and poured some hand sanitizer on her palms, casually rubbing them together. "The award for laziness?"

"Hey!"

She closed one eye. Inspected the sealed doorway carefully. "Aha!" From her backpack, she pulled out a Bob-Omb-a non-sapient variety.

The Captain blinked, inching towards a rock to hide behind. "Uhh...what are you doing?"

Toadette had a violent glint in her eye while winding up the Bob-Omb's key. "Having some fun~"

* * *

Nathan and Betty rode the cart through the mine, passing by a few more of the same crystals on the way. The Paratroopa's eyes narrowed, and the Boo kept looking on with a somewhat miffed expression.

 _BOOM_

Out of nowhere, an explosion went off in the deeper region of the mine, and both of them perked up at the noise.

"That's it! Someone else is after that gold!" Nathan shouted.

"Uh, duh-"

The Paratroopa stood on the edge of the cart, leaning forward to help it move faster. "Follow the sound!"

* * *

"...Did you hear something?" The Captain asked.

Toadette was grinning at the destruction she caused, pumping her fist when she saw the door was down. "Aw yeah! We're in it now!"

"Hm…" Captain Toad was skeptical. To him, he swore he heard the cries of someone else in the mine. And they sounded close. "Toadette, I think we should hurry…" he muttered while pushing her through the doorway.

Once inside, it was pitch black, so both toads had to turn on their headlamps. And when they did, they found something even greater than what they expected.

"Holy cow bones!"

* * *

Nathan looked ahead, realizing that the track had come to an abrupt end, broken off and leading to a steep drop. "Oh no. Betty, we're gonna have to jump!"

The Boo had already lifted herself up and out of the cart, looking on at him with a bored expression. "You and your drama…"

"Bah…" Nathan flew out of the cart, "Can't ever have fun with _anything_?"

Said cart ended up plummeting off of the broken track, down into the shaft right where the Toads were. With a loud crash, it landed right in front of them, missing them by near inches!

"AH!" They both leapt back, the Captain jumping in Toadette's arms. The girl Toad shot him a look, to which he replied with a sheepy smile.

"Hey, who's up there?!" The girl Toad cried out.

"Aha!" The Paratroopa shouted back. "I knew someone else was here!"

"...WHat?!" Toadette yelled. Unable to hear what he said properly.

"What?!"

"Huh?!"

"Look-forget that, I'm coming down. C'mon, Betty…" And Nathan started to fly downwards...

"...What?!"


	10. Captured

Once Nathan flew down to the bottom, Betty appeared next to him. They both saw the pair of Toads that were after the same treasure, confronting them.

Nathan chuckled. "Heh. So-no wonder it looked like someone had already been through here."

Toadette smirked in return, placing her hands on her hips, "You think you can just take this land? We got here first, buddy!"

"The King's orders-we don't negotiate."

Betty looked over at the Captain who was standing behind Toadette. She giggled and shot him a wink, causing the Toad to shiver. The Captain had a slight fear of ghosts-and generally anything that floated. _"I'm sensing a lot of fear in you~"_

" _AH! Get out of my head!"_ The Captain mentally squealed, thinking he was already being possessed.

"-HA! Take one step, and you'll be sorry," boasted Toadette, "I've got a blue belt!"

Pushing his luck, Nathan decided to step forward- "Oops." His foot pressed down on a rock switch that caused the walls to shake around them. Rumbling through the cavern room they were in.

"What did you just do?!" Betty yelled, questioning her partner.

"Hey, I dunno it's-!"

"Captain, look!" When the walls came down, it revealed to them the abundance of coins, gold flowers, and other rare and valuable items such as blue coins-an item that hadn't been used for a long time. "We found it! Now we can put our claim in this part of land and-"

But before she could relish her find, she was pinned to the cave wall by a set of sharp feathers in her clothes. "Hey!" She tried to wriggle her way out, but the feathers were jammed well into the wall. "Ngh! Captain, run and get-"

When she looked up, she saw nothing but the Captain's headlamp rattling on the ground, indicating the fact that he had run off.

And Toadette was not amused by this, raising an eyebrow. "Huh-that's it? No, 'I can't leave you behind' thing? Just-just run, huh? When you were dragging your feet the whole way here, but now you can run like Mercury." She closed her eyes while she continued her rant to herself. "Oh, the kinda sleeze I deal with."

Nathan cleared his throat. "Ahem-well won't this be great? Now not only do we have a claim on the land…" he said while reaching around in his shell to retrieve a flagpole with Bowser's face on it. Staking it in the ground before looking up at Toadette. "We also got a prisoner."

Betty giggled to herself, floating up to Toadette. "And your boyfriend didn't even bother sticking around to try and help you," she made a mocking pouty face, "oh how sad for you…"

"Ptoo!" Toadette spat towards the Boo, but she simply turned transparent to avoid it. "Grr…"

"Ahaha! And the way you fight back is absolutely delicious! Like a caged mouse~!"

Nathan meanwhile, was busy drawing up a document on a piece of paper. "Official...ownership…" Then he looked up, "Hey Betty-take possession of her body so we can bring her back-it'll be easier that way."

And the Boo had an evil grin on her face. "Now _that's_ something I can agree with you on."

Toadette was naturally appalled by the idea. "...So that means you'd be-oh god no…." she started dry heaving. "Please don't-I can't stand-!"

But it was too late. Betty had already fused herself with Toadette's body, and phased through the feather restraints. "Hmm…" As she took it over, Toadette's eyes turned a shade of gray, and Betty was immediately satisfied with how the new body worked. "I could get used to this...small, yet comfortable~"

Nathan started flying towards the way they came. "Come on, let's get out of here…King's gonna be proud of us when he hears this!"

"Comiiiing~" Betty in Toadette's body followed him.

" _Hey! Get out of here! Help! Cap-er-anyone else!"_ The girl Toad writhed within the confines of her own mind-which was all she had left since her body and soul was being overtaken by an outside force. Such is the way of Boos.

* * *

Meanwhile, topside, Captain Toad panted to himself. Having run so far in such short time left him gasping for air. "...I knew we should've turned back. I should've been more prepared. I'm the leader here…" He shook his head before standing up. Looking over the plains, he realized there were too many pipes around. "I have to warn the Princess...now which pipe leads back home again…?"

* * *

Eventually, the two made it back to World 8. With Betty still walking Toadette's body up the steps to Bowser's Castle. Some of the guards were confused at first, so Nathan had to explain the situation.

And that's when they were taken to the throne room.

"-so not only did we complete our task-we even scored something better!" Nathan said.

Betty sighed. She didn't want to give up this body, but floating felt more natural. So she moved out of the body, leaving the pink Toad gagging, and breathing heavily.

"Don't...do that….please…" she shivered. It was an indescribable experience-having been possessed for so long.

Bowser looked down from his throne at Toadette. Knowing full well that the Princess would likely send someone after her to fetch her. So many options. Hold her for ransom, mind control, menial labor. Choices choices.

"I know exactly what to do with her…" his voice boomed over the room. Causing Toadette's heart to drop...


	11. Consequences

' _Day 1'_

' _I'm stuck here in a dungeon of the enemy. My team has split up to find reinforcements. And my rations…'_

Toadette paused as she wrote in her journal, listening to her stomach almost quake.

She sighed. _'Yeah, I'm finished here…'_

In the cell was a basic bed to sleep on, and nothing else. The walls were cold, the floor felt moist. And there was no means of escaping. Toadette flopped on the prison bed.

" _Man, what am I gonna tell everybody? Now I'm the one captured. And it's gonna haunt me…"_

Her thoughts were interrupted by the guard who called out to her. A Koopatrol. "Ahem. Prisoner-step forward."

Toadette groaned as she got up. A shackle with a ball weight attached to her foot to keep her from moving that far. "What's the deal? You don't have any other prisoners?"

"Shows just how competent _you_ are if that happened." The armored Koopa chuckled at her expense. "Anyway, it's time for your daily meal."

"Uh-huh…" Toadette yawned and leaned against the bars. "So if there's rarely any prisoners, then what's the point of constantly being on guard all the time?"

"Ha! Do you really think I'm just going to give up information like that so easily?" The guard laughed in her face. "You must be tripping out of your mind if you think so. What did you even do to land here?"

And the Toad girl paused for a moment, before deciding not to say. "...Not my proudest moment in the field…"

"C'mon, you can tell me." The Koopa guard smirked as he walked over, "I'll keep it a secret."

"Grrr…" And the pink Toad was far from in the mood for any sort of forced behavior. "Just get me my food!"

"Jeez…" he backed off almost instantly. "Women…"

Toadette boomed, rattling the bars with her voice. "Excuse me?!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Betty and Nathan had taken a moment to rest as they sat down for lunch.

"Well...that was interesting."

Betty shrugged. "Yeah, yeah-it was….a thing. Didn't expect to capture someone so valued by the Mushroom Kingdom."

Nathan scratched his head. "Valued? What does Toadette actually do? I mean, her brother is one of Peach's handlers, but-what is she just there because she's the only female Toad?"

"Actually that's not true," Betty replied, leaning forward, "My buddies over in the Paper dimension say that there's a ton of female Toads there. But here, we haven't seen many." She looked up, "Uh, let's see, Zess T., Vanna T.-"

The Paratroopa snorted. "Are they all just puns and nothing else?"

"Most of them. I guess she's just trying to be popular since she's really the only girl Toad in the 3Dimension." Her tail wiggled as a devious grin etched onto her face. "So sad, really~"

"Huh-kinda ironic," Nathan replied, then passed it off as if it wasn't major. "So do you think we'll get anymore jobs soon?"

"Think, dude." Betty casually absorbed some strange purple energy. Her "lunch." "If she's captured, that means Peachy is gonna send someone after her to rescue her. Or even better-she might come here herself!"

Nathan thought back to the last time Princess Peach had-quite literally-stormed the castle. The Koopalings taken out so fast, kicks being thrown this way and that. Unexpected to say the least… "...Yeah, uh-didn't she wreck the heck out of us last time?"

"Pff, that was one time. I doubt seriously she'd get us again." The Boo's eyes flashed. "The point is-whoever she sends next-we can just capture them too. And maybe cause some horrible havoc for the Mushroom Kingdom~!" She let out a mischievous cackle.

"Huh-not bad," Nathan chuckled before biting into a hot dog. "Not bad…"

* * *

Back in the Mushroom Kingdom…

"Huff...hufff…" Captain Toad had made it back to the castle-barely. Flopping over in a puddle of sweat. Two Toad guards at the front gate-a Yellow and a Blue one-saw him.

"Welp-looks like the Captain was out again," the Blue one rolled his eyes.

The Yellow one stretched. "Yeah, it seems to be that way alright-what do you think it could be this time?"

"His sandwich was stolen?"

"Hah! Or maybe he's trying to take off into space again."

"Oh, oh-maybe he fell asleep and ran late for a meeting."

"Ran? Pff! I'm sorry, but using the words 'Captain' and 'run' in the same sentence don't apply-unless treasure is involved. ...Or fast food-"

And at that, the Captain looked up at them and shouted at the top of his lungs. "SHUT UP AND GET ME THE PRINCESS, YOU IDIOTS!"


End file.
